eight-band showcase at RJ’s

Eight area bands with diverse styles will unite for a showcase of Seacoast talent on Sunday, Oct. 12. The show begins at 3 p.m. at RJ’s Bar and Grill, formerly Mojitos, at 83 Washington St. in downtown Dover.

The event was organized by Rob Jennings, drummer for Dover-based band Monkey Bar. Jennings hopes to expose the audience to the area’s diverse spectrum of musical genres by billing local bands with a range of sounds. The lineup will include AMFM, Audio Transmission, Anthony Vito Fiandaca, Social Outsiders, Police Take Notice, Not a Soul in Sight, Gnarlemange and Moon Minion. The door charge is $8.

RJ’s, too, is looking for more exposure. The club opened as Mojitos in the fall of 2006, but changed its name last month in the hopes of attracting a wider audience. Owners are aiming for a friendly atmosphere with a new menu, a dress code and different types of music. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/mojitosdover. 

Hendrix lives

For the second straight year, the Experience Hendrix Tour will bring a lineup of topnotch guitarists and other musicians to the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom to perform the music of Jimi Hendrix. This year’s cast includes former Hendrix band mates Mitch Mitchell on drums and Billy Cox on bass, as well as all-star ax wielders like Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and many others.

The first Experience Hendrix mini-tour was held in 2004 and was followed up in 2007. This year, the 19-date nationwide tour starts at Hampton Beach on Wednesday, Oct. 15, beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets to the 19-and-over show are $40 to $90.

Other guest guitarists include Texan rocker Eric Johnson, Aerosmith member Brad Whitford, Howlin’ Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin, Memphis-based bluesman Eric Gales, Native American blues rocker Mato Nanji (of Indigenous) and Chicago-born bluesman Bernard Allison (son of blues legend Luther Allison). Chris Layton, who played drums for Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble, will also be in Hampton.

Combinations of artists will unite on stage to perform renditions of Henrix classics like “Purple Haze,” “Hey Joe,” “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” and “Red House.” For more information on the tour, visit www.experiencehendrixtour.com. For tickets, call 603-929-4100 or visit www.casinoballroom.com. 

The Ballroom will host another classic rock tribute concert on Saturday, Oct. 18, when three cover bands take the stage. The Led Zeppelin Experience, AC/DC Experience and Pink Floyd Experience will be at the beach for an 18-and-over show beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are $26 in advance, $28 at the door.